Coat of Arms
by RavenRays
Summary: Ten years after escaping deadly flames and nightmares, twenty-two year old Ivory Wood visits Italy with her adoptive sister, Katherine Chase, for a month and a half after their college graduation. After a tour of a town in Tuscany, Ivory becomes a target of one of the most dangerous vampire covens of the world. She runs, but the fact is: you can never run from the Volturi.
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to Italy

**Thank you for taking a look at this fanfiction. **

**Updates may be slow. I am a college student and I also have other things I'm working on as to trying to get my degrees. You can definitely ask when the next update will be, but my answer most times will be 'I don't know', and that's because I really don't. I want these chapters to have both quality AND quantity, and are edited to find grammar and tense errors.**

**What I want most of all is for everyone to enjoy. Feel free to review, follow the story (or me), etc.**

**Things in bold will ALWAYS be notes from me, the author. Regular italicized is most always in the story.**

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"Again!" The college graduates screeched with delight and laughter as I found myself balancing at the top of the fraternity's main sculpture in their front yard. My left hand pressed against the nine square inch tip and I swung my legs up and toes pointed like an arrowhead to the sky. Their roaring glee was exhilarating and I stared down at them as they gathered like ants. Granted, really, I was only two stories up. Amongst the crowd were a few of my buddies, one of them being my best friend, and adopted sister, for the past ten years of our lives – Kat. Her arms were crossed against her chest, _my _beer in her hands. She disapproved of my crazy antics. Right now she was frowning, and I only grinned back at her.

I only need to _think_ I could do something like a hand-stand on a sculpture tip and I _could_. I was a magnificent freak in a school full of boozed players and pot-heads. Did I enjoy it? Actually yes. Not many people could manipulate reality like me. It was beautiful secret, something I had only shared with Kat. She knew about everything I could do.

After another moment of the crowd's exuberance, I swung my legs and slid down the length of the statue until my feet were safely on the ground. The crowd let out a disappointed murmur, and I merely shrugged.

"Sorry guys, that's it," I said as I reached out for the beer that Kat held for me.

"We need to get ready, Ivory," Kat urged, whispering to me amongst the screams of the party. I waved her off good-heartedly and started for the fraternity house with her close to my side.

"Soon, soon," I sighed after I consumed the rest of my beer. "We have a few hours."

"No, we only have five," Kat argued, pushing herself forward to press against my side. "It's already midnight. The plane leaves at six and we have to be at the gate by five. We already don't have any time to sleep, Ivy."

I spun around to face my adoptive sister. "Okay I get it," I said as I chucked the empty beer bottle in the nearest trash, outside the frat door.

"You know how long I've wanted to go to Italy, Ivy," Kat said. I did, she knew that. She knew I wanted to visit too. Her parents – my adopted parents – gave us a graduation gift to visit whatever place we wanted to and we chose Italy. Some of our fellow graduates were going as well with their own money so we decided to plan as a group. We got a double room at the Ca' Sagredo in Venice.

"Yeah, okay," I finally sighed and nodded. I fixed my short pitch black hair with a tussle of my fingers and urged her to start for her car with a gesture of my free hand. I swerved in and out of the drunken crowd until we reached Kat's car. Luckily no one had damaged it with broken beer bottle glass, vomit, or streamers. Since I already drank at least seven beers during the party and Kat had none, it was clear who was driving home.

In the car I had leaned back against the Jeep's gray leather seats and just continued to stare forward. This was never where I pictured myself to be over ten years ago. Now I was twenty-two, I just graduated college with my adopted sister and now we were heading to Italy for a month and a half. If my biological parents saw me now, I think they would be proud.

But they were dead. Killed by the pale men of my nightmares.

I could remember flames – bright blue, white, and amber – licking and enveloping my home like greedy flies. I was still in the house, watching as my parents were dragged out by their hair by two men. They screamed and fought against the demon angels, but lost. The leader, black cloak curling behind him like tendrils, questioned my parents but his words were mumbled, spoken through a level of thick glass. His face warped with a Cheshire grin, bright crimson eyes glued to my parents.

And the two guards, the titan one and the slender one, had helped themselves to killing them. I was merely twelve. I squeezed my eyes shut. I wanted to be safe. Needed to be safe. The cloaked pale men started for my burning house.

I didn't want to see the little girl who's eyes were a bloody red, or the guards who had picked themselves up from my parents' mutilated bodies. I wanted to be away – somewhere else. _They couldn't have me. They could never have me_.

When I opened my eyes, I was in my seat on the plane. Kat was at my side, her brown eyes on me. "The nightmare again?" she asked, voice low but coaxing.

I merely straightened up in the seat and nodded. "I'm fine," I mumbled.

"I know you are," her voice soothed me. "But you mind letting go of my hand?"

I looked down, never realizing I had gripped her hand tight. I was holding hers so tightly I was shaking. "S-sorry," I released my grip and fixed my hands on my lap.

Kat leaned in closer, a hand on my shoulder rubbing lightly. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

I turned to her. "About my... parents? Or the demon angels?"

Kat shrugged. "Either."

My eyes focused on the back of the seat in front of mine. "I... don't know." I felt Kat's hand rub down my arm.

"Don't worry about it then, Ivory," Kat whispered.

I took a solid deep breath and smiled. I loved Kat. She was my sister, though people would be able to tell we really weren't. Kat was tiny, sickly thin, standing an inch or so over five feet. Her skin was olive, eyes a beautiful chocolate brown, and hair the color of fresh caramel which draped past her shoulders to the middle of her back. I on the other hand... I stood only a few inches under six feet, my figure a slender hourglass, hair an oil-black and fashioned in a fro-hawk. My eyes were a pale blue, almost hypnotic icy white. My skin was like porcelain, so white it almost shined in the sun, and my eyes always seemed so hollow in my skull, casting a red-purple shadow around my lids. Kat was warm – the fire – while I was cold – the ice.

Venice was gorgeous. Ca' Sagredo was gorgeous. The huge hotel was home to pieces of Tiepolo and Bambini, and had suites with views of the Grand Canal. Our double room suite had a balcony that looked out at the Canal, adorned with boats and crystalline water. I looked out at the beauty as the sun set in the distance. Kat had finished unpacking and walked over to join me. "Beautiful, isn't it?" I asked.

Kat inhaled the Italian air. "Very."

"I remember coming here when I was younger," I told Kat, memories coming back to me. She turned to me. "Before my parents died. I was maybe, nine or ten, but yeah I remember the Grand Canal. We were only here for a week before my parents rushed us home for a reason I don't remember."

"You think they'd be happy you're back?" Kat asked.

"Maybe," I whispered. "Yes." A long pause. "I don't know." I leaned into Kat's side and she stumbled slightly.

"Stop it, you're too tall to do that to me," Kat squeaked as she tried to push me away but to no avail.

I merely chuckled. "So, what are the plans for tomorrow?" I asked.

"Maggie and the others texted me about a tour of a town in Tuscany three and a half hours away," Kat said.

I groaned.

"Give me a break, Ivy." Kat pushed me. "Maggie said that from what she heard it's worth the wait. We'll be visiting a town fortified from sienna stone."

"What's it called?" I asked.

"Volterra."

Huh. The name sounded oddly familiar.


	2. Chapter 2: The Volturi

Kat had pushed me to get up early in the morning, to go get some delicious breakfast close to the hotel, but also to be ready for the midday trip to Volterra. I really didn't understand why I had to be ready by nine in the morning for a eleven o'clock scheduled trip. Ah well, at least I had a few things that kept me entertained while my sister, Maggie, and a few others set up their desk of cameras and notepads (for questioning the tour guide of course). I just sat in my chair, knees kicked back, and spun a dime on my finger without a single movement of my hands until my head started to ache, which happened from time to time.

The food we had at breakfast was absolutely amazing. I had never tasted anything like fine Italian cuisines in America, even though a greasy fried cheeseburger and fries made it on my top five list of favorite foods. Load that up with a ton of ketchup and mayonnaise and I'll have myself quite a delicious burger. Maybe two or three of these would keep me satisfied for awhile, but this Italian cuisine, though delicious and addictive, left me... unsatisfied. I did have a rather insatiable appetite. Comes with the fast metabolism.

The group had found a small tour bus willing to take us on a one way trip to Volterra, but we would have to find our way back, that was the deal. I always sat in the front, quiet and undisturbed – the freak amongst the rest. Except Kat, she understood better than anyone else. She explained she was going to sit with Maggie for the ride so I was left alone. I spent those three hours completely hypnotized by the sites of Italy, watching as each ancient, untouched building passed by in a blur as the bus drove on.

Volterra was a small town in Tuscany almost completely untouched by most of civilization. In the middle of the town itself was a giant clock tower. I found myself in the shade most of the time. Having porcelain skin doesn't help me tan – but it does help me _burn_.

Kat pulled me toward a few small shops past the foundation and I followed close behind, raising a hand to shield my eyes from the impending sun. I rubbed my arms uncomfortably. I shouldn't have worn a sleeveless black top. Either way, I was going to burn. The least I could do was scoot to the shade as much as possible.

I hurried myself over to the shade only to admire the ancient stone work while Kat and the others had rushed over to find stuff to buy. Souvenirs weren't my thing, but admiring amazing architecture was amongst the few things I really enjoyed.

"What're you doing?" I felt Kat at my side and I turned to look down at her. Maggie and a few of the others had joined her and giggled behind us.

"Waiting for the tour to begin," I told her as I turned back to the ancient stones.

"But staring at the stones?"

"Admiring the architecture." I corrected.

"Well, come on," I felt Kat tugging at my arm, but I didn't move. "The tour guide is coming in less than five minutes. We have to meet by the clock tower."

I groaned. "The sun," I complained and I gestured towards the sky, childishly. "I will burn."

"Like a vampire, I know," Kat chuckled, but I still didn't budge. "Girls, help me!" I felt the grips of five other girls on my shoulders pulling me back from the shadows into the gruesome light. I only let out a squeak and pouted as the sun hit my skin. I thought I could already feel myself toasting. I imagined I could feel my flesh sizzling and cooking, but it was just my imagination.

"Now are we ready to go?" Maggie asked impatiently and started for the clock tower without an answer.

I was already uncomfortable in the sun.

"You'll be safe from sunburn when we get inside." Kat said with a grin. "Now let's go."

A loose smile tugged at the edges of my lips and I shrugged. "Alright." And once in the shade below the clock tower I felt _much_ better. Below the clock tower was a small entranceway and the twenty of us crammed inside, all admiring the incredible Italian art. I alone though just leaned against the giant iron doors.

At the end of the hall someone approached, and by the sound of heels against stone it was a woman. Flamboyant, mesmerizing, and statuesque were just a few words I could use to describe this woman dressed in a silk red dress. Rich mahogany hair fell past her shoulders and with her long legs I thought to myself she actually may be taller than me. She definitely was though in her heels.

Everyone had seen her and everyone _but_ me had rushed up to her, questioning her if she was our tour guide.

"_Of course_ she's our tour guide." A man from outside our group from Venice said, in a matter of fact tone. His eyes drank in her form and from his close proximity to her, I thought he would probably jump her or do something _stupid_ for himself to get kicked.

"_You are stunning_." Everyone was in awe, and honestly as was I, but I wasn't a moth to a flame like they were. She was _amazing_ though and I had a hard time looking away from her. Beauty, attraction, that's all I could even think about. I _wanted_ to follow her. I needed to follow her.

But after a moment, I thought – _why_?

Yes she was a tour guide, but I have never felt this physically or mentally attracted to _anyone_ before. This couldn't be just a normal thing. Was she... like me?

Her body looked carved from marble, beauty exceptional.

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to shake it off – break the mental connection. I leaned forward and grabbed at Kat's arm to pull her back to face me. She looked utterly confused and bewildered I'd pull her away from such a beautiful woman.

"What's wrong?" She saw my worried expression and was instantly curious.

"I – I'm not sure, but something feels very off." I felt it with the woman's attraction. Surely Kat felt it too, but she merely shook her head.

"There's nothing off," Kat giggled. "She's gorgeous though, isn't she?" Kat's eyes were again back on the tour guide, who had looked over to us curiously. Curious as to why we weren't admiring her maybe?

"I think she has an ability... like me," I whispered to Kat, averting my gaze from the siren. "I have never been this attracted to anyone. _Ever_."

Kat was taken aback. "Another ability? Like yours? How is that possible?"

I shrugged. "I really don't know, but anything's possible right?"

"Is everything alright?" Kat and I both turned. The tour guide was in front of us and I was spooked – I didn't even hear her walk towards us. What was funny though was that she didn't look the least bit concerned about whether or not something was 'alright'. Her violet eyes were narrowed on me, bright red lips pursed in what seemed to be more of annoyance to me.

"Everything's fine." Kat said, and from my sister's expression I thought she was going to drop to her knees and kiss the guide's feet.

Something was not right with this woman.

I just nodded my head and smiled, even when it was just a guise.

"Excellent, then let's begin our tour," the guide turned on her heels and started for the way she came with the group following like lovable puppy dogs seeking praise from their masters. Even Kat started forward to join.

I felt the same pull as she did, the same attraction and desire to just do whatever she said. But right now I cared about Kat's safety. This was a siren, and if I knew anything about sirens it was that they were dangerous. But despite my attempts to drag Kat away, she still followed and I close behind, if only to protect my sister.

The stairway we were led through was dark and dank. The guide merely cooed at us, explained that the tour would begin briefly but I had a hard time coming to think this would lead anywhere good.

And it didn't.

I stuck at the back of the crowd flanking my sister. I was the one who seemed out of place, the one unaffected by the call of the siren.

We had stopped in a small open section and from the flowers adorning the room it reminded me of a funeral home. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. Funeral homes always made me think of decaying dead people and that was not a sight I wanted to see.

A figure dressed in a smoky cloak had passed the group and caught my eye. He seemed carved from marble like the siren and he walked elegantly like someone of royalty or high status, standing just a few inches above me it seemed. Deep blonde hair was fashioned on his head and when his eyes caught me I could swear they were a deep shade of crimson that faded to black around the pupil. He smiled wickedly when he saw me and turned to the guide in red. "Dibs," was all he said before he disappeared down the corridor like a shadow.

_Dibs_? What the hell did he mean by that?

The guide cleared her throat and everyone in the group, whose eyes weren't already on her, turned to her. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to ask you to all remain here for a moment. I have to attend to a matter at the moment and I'll return in a few mere minutes."

"Of course," the crowd said in unison, but I didn't. My eyes narrowed on the siren as she started down the same corridor as the shadow. Her unusual red-violet eyes were on me momentarily before she was gone.

When she wasn't in sight, I turned to Kat and lightly grabbed hold of her arm. "Katherine, we need to go." I had never used her full name before unless it was an urgent situation. Right now, it was extremely urgent. The hairs on the back of my neck were on end and I felt a frigid chill through my bones. The way the cloaked man had looked at me was like I was a _meal_.

"Ivory, _calm down_. Nothing is going to happen," my sister argued, her own dark eyes on me.

"How do you know?" I questioned, voice a low hiss. "Really, how do you not know this is not just a ploy?"

"A ploy for what now exactly?" Kat raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Her voice had taken on a hint of hostility and I wondered, was this part of the siren's spell on her?

"Just _please_, listen to me. Please." I have begged for her to listen to me before, but I hoped she saw the look in my pale blue eyes – how spooked I was at the situation.

"If you want to leave, go ahead, but I'm staying." Kat argued and turned back to the ground.

I opened my mouth to talk, but was cut off by the sudden excitement of the rest of the group. "You're back!" "Welcome back!" The tour guide had appeared down the corridor again, and her unusual purple eyes were on me.

"Just a few more minutes, ladies and gentlemen," she purred and the crown groaned but didn't argue past that. "But you and your... sister, right? The ones in charge of the tour wanted to extend a private tour for the two of you. Are you interested?" She smiled fiendishly and I felt cold again.

"Absolutely!" Kat jumped at the idea and pulled at my arm for us to step in front of the guide. I stumbled forward briefly, eyes wide.

"Uh, I don't think that's a good idea."

The siren's eyes narrowed and her lips pulled down into a frown.

"Don't mind my sister, she means yes." Kat said, and the siren smiled once more.

"Excellent," she purred. "Follow me." She turned down towards the hallway elegantly and Kat pulled at my arm for me to follow. I did. I needed to protect her from whatever was to come. Something was off, and I wouldn't let any harm come to my sister.

The corridor was dank, dark, and thin. It seems more like a dungeon than anything else. The only sound was the clank of the guide's heels against the hard floor. At the end of the corridor were giant iron cast doors and once the guide opened those doors it opened to a massive antechamber, perfectly round and the windows above threw down sunlight along the floors. A large drain was in the center of the floor.

A handful of people were in the chamber, and I spotted the slender cloaked figure from before. He cast me a quick glance with those dark crimson eyes and smiled again. Beside him a giant titan of a figure stood and deep brown hair was fixed on his head. He was incredibly round in the shoulders. All their eyes were on us when we entered.

Across the chamber from the doors were three giant thrones and the person that sat in the middle got to his feet and drifted towards us. "Ah, welcome!" His voice was like feathers. He was an angel like the rest of them, skin paper thin and marble. Black hair framed his face and his own eyes were that same deep crimson of the blonde slender shadow from earlier. "Welcome to Volterra."

Behind us the iron doors shut, but my eyes didn't leave the strange black-haired angel. He clasped his hands together and his voice was a deep sigh. "I am _so glad_ you decided to come here, just the two of you."

I couldn't help but notice the two other men who sat upon the thrones. The one that sat on the left had darker hair that fell past his shoulders and seemed utterly _bored_, while the one on the right had a shock of silver-blonde hair and was perpetually angry. My eyes went back to the man who floated in front of Kat and I.

His eyes were on me. "You are the one with the ability?"

I blinked and took a step away, taken aback. How the hell did he know-?

"He knows you have an ability?" I heard Kat whisper in my ear. She was looking from every statuesque figure that stood within the chamber.

"My dear," the leader's voice was like a deep breath of air, "I heard you through Heidi's thoughts." He did what now? He gestured for the siren, which I took must be called Heidi.

"She seems partially immune to my _attraction_." Heidi purred. "Her sister on the other hand, not so much." A good number of them scoffed and laughed. But I felt a wave of anger overcome me.

I took a step forward, toward the siren, Heidi. "Don't you dare talk about my sister like that." I hissed out, but before I could take another step the blonde guard had gripped my arm and held tight – tight enough that his grip felt like rock and would leave a deep bruise in my skin. I looked at him, my own pale eyes narrowed angrily. He only grinned back. The titan of a guard was behind Kat but didn't have a grip on her like the other did on me. The blonde was hard and lean while the titan was menacing and hulking.

"Don't be offended dear one," the one with the framing black hair spoke softly, and my eyes were on him again. He drifted closer and reached out his hand. The guard forced my arm out and my fingers brushed against the leader's. All I could feel was cold smooth skin, and the leader bent forward, over our hands.

After a moment, a perplex expression crossed his face. "That is... interesting," he said, his milky crimson eyes looking back up at me before around to his guards. "I can _see_ some things in your thoughts, but it is hazed over. Quite _incredible_." His grin was fiendish but he angelic.

The others seemed highly interested, and two more figures stepped forward, two smaller, younger than the rest. I could swear they were baby angels, but the bright crimson eyes and dark smoky cloaks said otherwise.

"Similar to _Bella_, but not exactly the same," the leader grinned, his crimson eyes staring into my pale stark blue. Who the hell was Bella, and what did he see when he touched my fingers? He released my hand and took a step back, gesturing towards the blonde guard that gripped my arm. He let me go and I reflexively rubbed the spot where he gripped me with my other arm. The black-haired angelic leader's grin faded. "But you look confused, dear one. You can block other mental abilities to an extent. Isn't this your ability?"

I blinked. "No," I whispered.

"No?" He let out a frightening chuckle. "Magnificent. What is it then?"

"First I want to ask a question," I said and the leader cocked a brow.

The silver-blonde one in the right throne hissed out but the leader in front of me turned to him and waved him to be silent. "Easy now, Caius." He turned back to me. "What is it, my dear?"

"Who are you?" I started and paused. "_What_ are you?" I felt Kat's eyes on me. She was curious, scared, I could feel it. The spell of the siren seemed to have worn off. I was the only one that could protect her against these-

Demon angels.

That was it... wasn't it?

Before the black-haired leader could speak I cast another glance at the two guards, the blonde one flanking me and the hulking one behind Kat that blocked our way out to the doors. I recognized them, and I blinked in distress.

Nightmares. Demon angels. Volterra in Tuscany. Italy.

It all made sense now.

"You," my voice was shaky as my eyes took in the rest. The black-haired leader in front of me – _I knew his face now_. The nightmares. The murderers. I took a step back out of fright and my hand searched for Kat's. My cool demeanor was gone. I was facing the nightmares of my past. "I remember you."

The leader was curious.

"You burned my house. You killed my parents."

Kat looked at me now, her jaw dropped. Her eyes scanned the figures again and now I could tell she was as scared as me.

The grin on the leader's face spread wider, if that was even possible. "Well, _this_ was something I wasn't expecting." He laughed hideously. "We thought, _I thought_, you perished in that fire, but here you are – you came back to us."

"_Who and what are you_?" I questioned again.

"Aro," the leader said as he gestured to himself. "We are the Volturi, your new family, dear one."

_What_?

Aro, the black-haired leader, had turned to one of the figures – an hourglass-shaped woman with light brown hair. "Chelsea, be a dear and sever those bonds?"

I felt a sudden pull at my body, at my mind, urged me to forget every little thing Kat and I had ever done together – forget our relationship – sever our sisterly bond. The pull, the sin, wanted me to believe I was alone and these _angels_, saviors, were here to bring me home. But I couldn't truly believe that. _I couldn't_.

"Kat, stay close to me." I told her.

"What?" I felt Kat rip her hand away and I turned to her in confusion and fright. She looked disgusted that I would even consider touching her hand. "We aren't _friends_." My heart seemed to shatter and I looked at her in fright and shock, before I looked back to the one named Aro.

"What did you do to her?" I snapped.

Aro just sighed. "It seems you can't feel Chelsea's pull either, how interesting. Too bad your sister did." His voice was like feathers again. "Well then, we'll have to do this the harder way. I prefer not to do it the other way but we don't want to waste you, now would we?" His crimson eyes went to the guards. "Demetri, Felix? Take her away."

The two guards were there and I felt their grips on my arms, stone iron locks, and they began to drag me toward the iron doors.

"No, _no_!" I crowed in fright. I pulled against the hold of the guards but they shrugged it off as if I was a mere fly. I reached out and my fingers grazed against Kat's. I squeezed my eyes shot that exact moment and pictured myself somewhere else, hoping, _believing_ I was somewhere else. Anywhere but here.

The iron grasp on my arms was gone and I felt the sun beating down on my face. I opened my eyes and stared amazed at where I was – where _Kat_ and I were. We were in a small graveyard just outside the giant stone walls of Volterra. In the back of my mind I thought I could hear amazed laughter.

"Wha-? How?" I turned to Kat as she looked around. Her eyes narrowed on me. "You're such a _freak_. What the hell did you do?"

"Me?" I blinked, hurt. "I didn't do anything but save our lives. They were going to kill us!"

"You don't know that." Kat snapped back.

"They murdered my parents, Kat! They made me an orphan!" I retorted.

"Does it look I care if you're an orphan or not?" She growled. "And why the hell are you calling me Kat? Only my family and friends can call me that. You are neither."

There it was – the pieces of my heart shattered in thousands of small pieces. I never thought I could feel worse than right now. Those demon angels, the Volturi as they called themselves, had messed with my sister's mind and now she acted like the past ten years of our life had never existed. We weren't sisters in Kat's eyes anymore, we never were.

She started for a path, but I called out. "Where are you going?"

"Back to Volterra, where else?" She said, voice agitated. "My _friends_ are all there and I'm going to take that tour like I should have."

"What about me?" My voice was low, reduced to a hurt whimper.

Kat sighed in annoyance. "I don't care what you do, just stay away from me. I don't need your _freakiness_ to rub off on me."

I was frozen in my spot in the graveyard as I watched Kat walk back to Volterra, back to her impending death as I knew would happen. Tears only rolled down my cheek and I turned in the opposite direction. I was alone.

An orphan again. Thanks to the Volturi.

I didn't have any money (Kat had it for the both of us), and I didn't have any way to get back to Venice. I couldn't pay for a cab, and I knew the tour group wasn't coming back. If anything, those demon angels reminded me of vampires - but they were too _gorgeous_, too amazing, to be vampires. Yet how could I explain how they hadn't aged a day since I was twelve?

The sun had set and I found myself a quiet place to sit in a small field outside of Volterra. I felt tears in my eyes but urged back the flood. I had nothing left but my body and abilities, but I couldn't do much now anyway. My head pounded from what I did earlier – transporting Kat and I out of that chamber and into the graveyard. I couldn't push my power any more. I didn't know what would happen.

But as my eyes took in the horizon, I knew I might need it. In the distance were two imposing figures, the first hard cut like the edge of a sword, and the other a massive goliath. The guards – Demetri and Felix.

And I think they saw me.


	3. Chapter 3: Field of Graves

There was little in the field besides a few bare trees and half a dozen medium boulders, and me. But I was standing alone with two shadows of men against the horizon, the lean and the titan. How the hell did they find me. _Why_ were they after me? What threat did I pose to them?

I stumbled backwards and fell to the ground, catching myself on scraped palms. Dirt painted my thin black dress... which was ironically _never_ the right wear for running from monsters.

I pushed myself halfway up and almost literally _crawled_ to the nearest bare tree, clinging to the part as I turned to see where the shapes where again. But they were gone.

My pale eyes searched for the two forms, frantic, afraid. Until I could _sense_ something behind me, eyes on me burrowing into my back. I didn't need to turn around to know that they were behind me.

I tried to swallow the lump in my thread, the uneasiness I felt at how petrified I was.

"I wouldn't suggest trying to run, little bird," there was the first suave voice – cocky, arrogant, and as light as a feather. The one that wanted dibs. "Don't fight us either. We don't want more bruises on that gorgeous skin of yours."

The second one, the burly one with the deep voice, only chuckled darkly.

I turned to face them with wide doe eyes. My pitch hair was a mess on my head, haggard and unkempt, and of course dirt and sweat must have been smudged against my body. From where the two guards had gripped my arms earlier were deep chartreuse and purple bruises.

"Don't use that teleporting nonsense either," on the blonde's face was a confident but a cheeky, creepy, smirk. "I'll be able to find you wherever you disappear to."

The giant whispered something under his breath I couldn't catch and the blonde's grin faded, crimson eyes turning to glare up at the goliath of a man. The bigger one only chuckled again.

Crimson eyes found me again. "Let's go, dove." He purred.

"H-how?" My voice cracked.

He cocked a brow.

"How could you find me?"

Another devilish smirk. "That's what I do. I track people," he took a step forward me, but his arms were behind his back. The way he moved reminded me of an angel – elegant, royal, but a warrior and completely blood-thirsty at heart. Exactly what a demon angel would be.

"Enough with the stalling, Demetri," hissed the giant. "Master Aro will not be happy we are taking this long to retrieve the girl. Grab her and let's get back." His voice boomed in his chest and crimson eyes seemed to flash against the impending darkness of the rising night.

"Patience, Felix," purred the one called Demetri, the blonde one. The big one was Felix, the angered one, the executioner. Demetri, though creepy and suave, was calm and collected.

"What are you?" I asked, still pressed against the base of the tree. "You... you are like me, but not."

Demetri cast Felix a glance, his grin only spreading wider on his angelic face. "Well, you're a curious one, aren't you?" Again, so confident.

"Your _master_ wants me for something and I don't know what it is," I snapped at the two of them, narrowing my own pale yet sharp eyes. They both seemed surprised at my sudden temper. "You two killed my parents and I _saw_ it all in my house as it burned! _Why the hell does your master want me_?" My voice surprised even me – a deep, resonating growl that peeled past my clenched teeth.

Demetri's grin faded only slightly. "We were instructed to kill your parents. We do as we're told," he said. "_We_ didn't set fire to your house. _Your parents_ did – it was already ablaze when we arrived."

I paused. "What?" My anger was gone for a moment in pure shock, but it flooded back in full force. "You're lying. My parents would never do anything to harm me!" I had jumped to my feet and I saw Felix step forward. "_Tell me – what are you_?"

Demetri sighed heavily. "Vampires, little dove, we're vampires." His crimson eyes looked into my paled blue. "Different from what humans had collected, but we are _vampires_."

A moment passed, and I stepped back, only to feel the press of hard stone and fabric against my back. Felix was not in his previous spot but now behind me – moved without me even realizing.

Demetri moved elegantly forward until he stood inches from me, and I could feel his breath, _smell_ the metallic iron that clung to it. I was stuck between the two vampire guards. "Master Aro would prefer if we bring you back unharmed, but we _will_ force you if necessary," Demetri explained in a suave hum. "Which would _you_ prefer?"

I could feel my heart throbbing in my throat, in my ears. I took a breath. "Answer me five questions first, then I'll come willingly," I requested.

Demetri seemed amused. "Sounds fair," but Felix grumbled his annoyance. "Go on, ask your first question." He said, ignoring his hunting partner.

"Why does Aro want me?" I asked.

Demetri rolled his shoulders, and even _that_ was alluring. His smile twitched. "Possibly to join our family, or for amusement, maybe something else. I don't know. Next question."

"How does your ability work? Does everyone in your family have an ability?"

"I lock onto the tenors of people's minds and will follow their trail until I pinpoint an exact location, thus why I tracked you, but what amuses me of you is that I couldn't pinpoint an _exact_ location – only a ratio of area. Second, no, not everyone does, but a majority do. We are the elite – we keep the peace," he explained, voice like silk.

"What's it like being a vampire?"

Demetri smiled coyly. "Interested in immortality, are we?" His perfect teeth shined from his wide grin, and I swallowed uneasily. "Everything someone wants and more. We become more than what we once were – our minds, abilities, and uses magnified while our faults broken and burned. Our development freezes when we are turned. We become living _gods_." I highly doubted that, but hearing it come from this vampire's mouth, one that seemed sculpted from marble and without any faults gracing his skin. Except those crimson eyes. Those were just terrifying. "Last question." He smiled cheekily.

What? No. "No, I only asked three." I felt Felix's chest vibrate as he chuckled deeply again.

"Wrong. _Four_," Demetri tilted his head to the side and his crimson eyes flashed dangerous. "One more question or would you rather us drag you away forcefully _now_?"

I wanted to shrink up. I shut my eyes for a moment, teary but holding back the flood. "Your master wants to turn me into what you all are, doesn't he?" My voice was a mere whisper but the two guards heard it.

I knew Demetri's coy grin was still painted across his face. "Most likely, and the process isn't pretty, but for now, we must get you back," he purred, raising a hand to brush his knuckles against the side of my cheek. He was cold, hard as stone. "Ready, little dove?"

I pulled away from his touch, avoiding the scarlet gaze. "Do I even have a choice?"

A breathy laugh. "No."


	4. Chapter 4: Red and Black

If you had to run in the bruising grip of a vampire, it would probably seem quite exhilarating and extraordinary... except you'd then realize you were being carried in the _bruising grip of a fucking vampire_. Here I was, being whisked back to the Volturi's 'evil lair' by these two monstrous guards. At least the big one was monstrous, but the blonde one though he scared me half to death with those cold crimson eyes and creepy smile, he was also flamboyant and cheeky. He was also... honest.

Before I could even register how fast we moved, we were back in the dungeon corridors of their _lair_.

"Walk," came Felix's booming voice behind me. Demetri had elegantly found his way in front of me, leading the way. Yet again, no place to go through the small winding corridors with the two vampires surrounding me. If I used my 'teleportation' (ability?) again, they would still find me, and who knew how much of a strain that would put on my body and mind. So I just walked.

Every now and again we'd pass an ashen cloaked figure – one of the Volturi, but from what I remembered, they weren't as pitch black as the leaders. If anything, the two guards were taking me back to them.

And I was right.

Demetri opened the way to the antechamber, and I only stared forward at the three chalky angelic men who sat in the thrones. I could feel my lips start to quiver, my heart jump beats, but I held it back – I remained stoic.

"Aha, dear Ivory," the one with the straightened black hair chuckled lightly as he strode out from his throne to in front of me. Demetri and Felix had stepped to my sides, crimson eyes glued to me as if they awaited my moves. "That took longer than I thought it would to collect you." Aro's milky eyes glanced at Demetri briefly before back at me. "Your ability to teleport is quite extraordinary!" His feathery laugh frightened me. "Amazing how you could transport you and your sister out of the grasps of both Demetri and Felix." His voice lowered to a humming purr and he turned elegantly on the sole of his feet.

It wasn't amazing... it was just damn luck. Luck that I know lost.

I remained silent as Aro continued. "Demetri, did your tracking ability work fully on her?" He asked the guard.

"No master," Demetri answered curtly. "I was able to pinpoint a ratio of area, not an exact location."

"Interesting." Aro flashed his teeth in a wide grin as he turned to face me again. "Not just teleportation but a half-shield from mental abilities. You'll become quite an extraordinary immortal yet."

I shrunk under his gaze and took a step back, only to be stopped by the iron grips of the guards' hands on my arms again. I didn't want to tell him about my telekinesis. Who knows how he would _react_ to knowing I could do _that_ as well.

"Now," his voice lowered yet again to a hum, "how should we go about turning you, hmm?" His hands were at his pale lips in thought.

I looked up with stark eyes and shook off my fear subconsciously. "Aro, wasn't it?" I started, voice low and hoarse.

All of their crimson eyes were now on me.

"Would you consider allowing me... three days, to remain human, only to get my affairs in order?" My words were low, a whisper to me, but I knew they could hear. "Then... yeah, I guess you could turn me into a... vampire." It was hard choking out the last word.

"You're a _human_. What makes you think you have any right to ask things of _us_?" The silver-blonde hissed in the right throne.

"Brother," Aro purred, before he once again focused on me. "Three days to remain human. Hmm, now that would be interesting, wouldn't it." A pause. "Very well. _Three days_, and only that. We will turn you at the end of the last day." He smiled, wide and bright. "You'll be one of us then."

I shivered at the thought.

"You cannot leave the palace. You are dead to your kind," Aro's silver-blonde brother hissed out.

"Demetri and Felix will be your guards," Aro added, and the sudden shift from the two men at my sides told me they weren't so _happy_ about this little... arrangement.

I merely nodded my head.

"Excellent. Boys, take her to one of the secretary suites. See to it that she is made comfortable," Aro purred before he turned light on his heels again and started for his throne in utter delight.

A shove against my arm and I was pushed back. "Let's go," was Felix's voice and this time he led the way with Demetri trailing behind me.

Down the corridor yet again more shadows had turned to me with their questioning red eyes. I recognized the siren named Heidi and... was there a tinge of _jealousy_ in those red-violet eyes of hers?

I found myself two flights of stairs up and then down a red hallway, less like the corridor of the 'dungeons'. Here instead golden lights hung from the walls and each door was a carefully etched insignia of the crest around the guards' necks. The letter 'V', bright rubies, and a coat of arms.

Felix stopped at the very end of the hallway and opened the last door to another maroon room with black and golden furniture. Amongst the crimson bed spread were golden drapes and the mahogany wood matched the colors well. In each piece of furniture, like the headboard of the bed and the chairs, the crest of the Volturi was carved. I noticed the washroom connected to the left, casting a bright white glow into the main living area. This was where I would be captive for three days.

I turned to the guards. "We'll see you in three days, little dove," Demetri purred.

"W-what? Wait," I blurted and their crimson eyes narrowed. "I'm _human_ remember. I have needs, like food, and fresh clothing."

Demetri let out a breathy chuckle. "The _secretary_ will fetch you your... _needs_, not us. We are merely making sure you don't escape again." He said a few words in a language I didn't understand. "We will check on you every few hours or so, so be a nice little human and be good." Both he and Felix laughed before the door closed behind them, a lock clicking, and I was left alone.

It was then I felt tears running down my face and I raised a hand to wipe them away.

There were no windows in the suite, except the ones in the ceiling that I couldn't reach. Several of the lamps in the room though helped to imitate natural sunlight.

I slumped onto the maroon comforter and twisted it in my fingers, completely silent except for the beats of my heart that even _I_ could hear.

I took a moment to think about how I even got here. I could've never come to Italy – if Kat and I didn't she would still be _alive_, we would be happy, and I wouldn't be waiting for my last three days to pass as a human...

Was this just my fate all along?


	5. Chapter 5: The Secretary

**Hey guys, quick word from the writer. Thank you to those who wrote reviews. The future of this fanfiction is still up in the air, and questions that were asked (like if Kat is still alive and if the Cullens will be appearing) will be answered in the upcoming chapters. I just don't want to spoil anything for you guys. Please do continue to review – it gives a little more reassurance that people are enjoying the story.**

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"Blow out your candles now, Ivy," my adoptive mother, Rebecca, said gleefully as she clapped her hands together. In front of me, a handmade cake, fixed with red velvet and dyed black frosting, and twenty-two candles squished together around the edges. I smiled wide, and I thought it reached the edges of my ears I was so happy. The candles trickled with golden orange flames, the wax curled with black and white.

The power was out due to the massive storm that blew through, which was... typical, as a storm always happened around my birthday. Odd, but I've grown used to it. Most times it would only be my sister and our parents and I didn't mind that one bit.

I missed the times we had together, the laughs we would have as we would light candles when the power blew out. Giggling, telling scary stories, playing on my serious personality with jokes. I missed it, I really did.

And I knew I wouldn't experience it again.

"Hello."

I lifted my head to look at the hourglass woman standing not ten feet from the bed where I laid. Her skin was a pale olive, hair deep black that reached down past her back, and she wore a thin, tight black dress, much like mine if I had to compare. In her hands, pairs of deep gray and black clothes. I thought I could make out the tiniest hint of crimson amongst the smoky ash. "I brought you clothes, on Master Aro's request." Her voice was easy, quite Italian.

I took it she was the _human_ secretary.

"Would you like anything else?" She asked.

I grinned. "I'm starving. I'm sure your Master Aro can give a few bucks to get some delicious Italian cuisine," after all, look at the expensive Italian garments most of the Volturi wore and even the state of their... 'palace'. Plus, I hadn't eaten since the morning of yesterday.

"Of course," she nodded.

"Wait," I called to her before she left, and she stopped. I turned my pale eyes on her. "Why do you work for _them_? You do know what they are, right?" I flashed her a quizzical look.

She merely nodded. "Yes, and what I want is... not important," she then shook her head, but I _knew_ what she wanted. Beauty, immortality, speed, strength – everything a vampire had and more.

I pulled myself up until I sat on the edge of the bed. My grin had spread to a sneer. "Do you really think they'd give immortality to _you_?" I snickered. "_Please_. Once you are no longer of use to them they will dispose of you, simple as that." My voice lowered to a hiss.

She was taken aback and shifted uncomfortably. "You don't... know that."

I chuckled. "Do you even know why _I'm_ here?" I asked, cocking a brow. "Because they want me in their... what's the word? Coven? Yeah, coven. They find use in me, that's why I'm locked up here as prisoner until my three days go by and my deal with Aro is sealed." I quickly imitated the noise of a ticking clock, all the while my eyes glued to the secretary. "But you," I laughed, "don't understand. If they had to choose you or me, they'd go with me, hun."

She continued to shift uncomfortably.

"Sweetie, I'd fill out your will if I were you and say my last few prayers, because you're not going to live through the next few days." I smiled. "You may go now."

She couldn't have been out of the door faster and I rolled my shoulders with a sigh, falling back on the bed. I almost... felt bad for saying what I did to the secretary but _someone_ needed to set her mind straight instead of being manipulated by these monsters.

After two hundred beats of my own heart pounding in my head, I grew bored, jumped to my feet and turned towards the clothing. Most of it, though different shades of gray, black, and even a dark crimson, were non-descript. But what caught my attention was the necklace, cast in brilliant gold and rubies – the crest of the Volturi. I took it in hand to observe the careful casting of the crest and coat of arms.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

I spun around, necklace still in hand, to spot the flamboyant Demetri leaning against the door frame, his deep crimson eyes on me and a cheeky smile across his face. "It fits you." He leaned off it, only to stride closer, inches in front of my face in mere seconds.

His cold fingers brushed against mine and I pulled away, tossing the Volturi crest back onto the pile of clothes. "What are you even doing here?" I questioned, crossing my hands over my chest.

Demetri merely chuckled. "Checking up. Making sure our resident human hasn't done anything _stupid_ and," his eyes scanned me, "so far you have not."

"That's great, you can go now." I felt incredibly uncomfortable with him standing there, those red eyes drinking me in like I was his next meal. But I wouldn't be, I knew. His master forbid it. Didn't stop me from thinking it though.

"Now why would I do that?" He asked with a tilt of his head. "Why can't I get to know you a little more? After all we will be _sisters_ soon, working together after your high as a newborn diminishes."

I stepped back feet bumping at the sides of the table, and Demetri only advanced a step forward. "I'm not interested."

His face was then in front of mine and I could hear him inhale. "I am," he said with a cocky smirk. "Especially about your quick temper. I heard you snap at the secretary. I heard what you told her about not living through the next few days." A light chuckle that vibrated through his chest. "And let me honest with you... you're _right_. There's nothing special about her except her blood."

I tried to keep my cool but I wasn't sure if I was succeeding.

"Maybe we'll keep her long enough so she'll be _your_ first meal," Demetri purred, and my stomach rolled disgustingly. "You'll probably enjoy tearing open her throat, succumbing to the pleasures of being what you'll be – what _we_ are – and just letting nature take its course." He took a step back and seemed to turn on the back of his heel. I noticed then he wore highly non-descript clothes, much like the ones I was left with. But around his neck, the Volturi crest.

"You'll enjoy all the pleasures of being a vampire, young little dove, or should I call you _– Ivy_?" He chuckled, and my eyes grew wide.

"Don't you dare call me that!" I snapped, approaching him. Only Kat could but – but she was dead.

He merely laughed, bright and happy. "I'll call you as I like, little bird. And after the decades roll by, you'll forget everything about your human life and your human family. You'll forget how your sister gave you the nickname Ivy, and _only remember_ _me_ giving you the nickname after cleaning you up from your daily bloodbaths."

I felt sick.

He was in front of me, faster than I could comprehend. His cold knuckles brushed down my cheek and along my collarbone as he seemed to hum out a lullaby in a language I did not know. "I'll leave you to your devices here, for now. I'll be back later, to chat, and you better be in a talking mood." His thumb graced my lips and I pulled away in disgust.

He pouted. "I'll definitely bring up the idea to Master Aro about the secretary being your first meal, and especially how you talked to her. He'll get a _laugh_ out of that."

I was merely frozen in place as Demetri strode back to the open door.

"Have a good day, little dove. I'll be seeing you soon." And the door closed behind him.


	6. Chapter 6: Resist Then Break

I was going to make damn well sure I wasn't going to be around when Demetri returned, and I was looking up at my little escape route – the windows in the ceiling. I wasn't sure if they could open, but I would find a way to _force_ them to.

My eyes scanned the entire suite for a route to get to the windows – to the drapes and points in the wall where I could climb. I couldn't do that in this dirt-splattered dress though, so I turned to the pile of clothes left for me and switched into a deep black top and comfortable black pants. Oddly they were my size, which puzzled me on how they would even know.

Either way, fixed in this new outfit, I tossed the Volturi necklace in the corner of the room, and started at my... climb. Up the frames of the bathroom door, fixing myself in the corner until I could swing to the front of the window, holding onto it for dear life. Granted I couldn't have been more than ten feet in the air but if I fell-

Yeah, it wouldn't be good.

What else wasn't good was this _window wouldn't fucking open_. It was only there to allow light to process through. _Fuck_. Until-

My hands slipped and my eyes grew wide. I felt myself falling, fingers scraping at the frames for a hold but to no avail. It wasn't a clean fall either. I slammed into one of the mahogany tables right below me, the wind knocked out, and then twisted until I hit the floor below.

_I couldn't breathe. I couldn't – breathe_. I found myself facing the ceiling, fighting for the most basic thing I needed. Air. My fingers were curled against my chest, wanting to rip through to allow myself to breathe – to break the weight on top of me, forcing me to gasp and beg for air.

I was ready to cry out, ready to call for both Demetri and Felix to help me. But what would _they _do? Decide that I was possibly dying, or trying to escape, which broke the terms of Aro's deal and decide to turn me right here, right now? I didn't want that.

_But I wanted to live_.

I fought back the urge to call out their names, my brain screaming for air, and my fingers clawed at my chest. My back was numbed from the effect of the fall but I could still feel every part of my body. My heart raced as I struggled.

I squeezed my eyes shut and calmed myself, from the racing throb of my heart in my ears, to the ache that spread through every nerve in my body. I told myself I needed the air – to calm down, concentrate, and _breathe_.

Slowly but surely, after I was able to fight off the fear of suffocating, I could feel the air rush back into my lungs – the welcomed fresh chipper air.

I relaxed on the ground, letting my hands fall to my sides. I wouldn't do _that_ again.

And it seemed I wasn't escaping this prison, despite my drive – my _want_ to leave. There was no escaping the fact that whatever these monsters wanted, they would get it. And it sucked.

I pulled myself up and assessed the damage – the mahogany table wobbled but it didn't break under my fall, which was alright I guess. My back ached and protested as I stretched.

I took a deep breath.

I wasn't going to make it out of here. If I used my teleportation ability again, who knew if it would kill me or not. I've stretched my powers far enough in the past few days that I didn't know what would happen, and I also had nothing in my stomach that would be able to give me any strength. There was still two days left of my time as a human.

I merely sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. I wondered...

"Yo, Demetri, you can hear me, yes?" I spoke at a low whisper, cocked a brow, turned my head toward the door, and waited.

But a few minutes went by and... nothing.

"Huh," I turned away. "Guess not." I got to my feet and walked for the bathroom, rolling my stiff shoulders. The bathroom was... exceptionally incredible. Large, spacious, and _marble_. The bright white light bounced off the walls as _well_ as my skin. I turned on the shower's water and waited until steam filled the room. I started to lift the shirt over my head until... I felt something, _someone_, behind me.

I let my shirt fall back onto my form and turned around, shocked by Demetri's close proximity.

"You called, little dove?" He purred with a wide cheshire grin.

Huh, I didn't think he heard me.

"Can you stop being so... creepy?" I hissed at it and he merely let out a breathy laugh.

"No." His crimson eyes gazed at the hot, steaming shower before back at me. "Were you about to get in the shower? I'll join you."

"No thank you," I turned around and shut off the water, only to walk around the vampire back into the main suite. He turned swiftly on his heel and followed.

"What is it you'd like, little dove?" Demetri asked in a suave tone as he stopped to stare curiously at the table I fell on previously, then back to me.

I turned to face him, crossing my arms over my chest. "What is it about me that interested you?" I questioned.

He laughed. "What?"

"Since you called dibs," which was rude of him, "something was off. Even when you tell me anything I want to know about vampires and why you're talking to me now. It just doesn't make any sense."

"I don't have to be _interested_ in you to be curious," Demetri grinned wider, crimson eyes flashing with amusement. "It's petty to think otherwise."

"Is it?" I stepped toward him, eyes narrowed. "Or is it that all you are is a player? You drink off the seduction you pour on women and leave them confused, is that it? _Is it_?" I had drawn close, _incredibly close_ – too close for comfort. I was staring in his deep and dark crimson eyes with my own pale blue, waiting for an answer. Waiting for him to thread a confident speech to me.

But I could play this game too. I did it too well in college.

I drew closer, my right hand smoothing against his leg until it hooked against his cold, hard back. My left hand I only brought to his face, frigid to the touch, but I shook it off. I moved my face inches in front of his and I smelt the iron of blood against his breath. It made my head reel, but I didn't show it. I kept my guard up though.

I knew if he tried anything, he would win. If he wanted me at his mercy, he would win. If he just backed out of my advances, he would ultimately win. There was no escaping the fact that I was _human_ and I was falsely flirting with a dangerous vampire.

But I didn't back away.

Demetri grinned, crimson eyes scanning me. His first hand, his left, moved to my body, rough against my waist while his right was raised, holding my chin in his fingers. He let out a breathy laugh and shifted closer until his lips almost brushed against my mine.

_Hold yourself up, Ivory_, I told myself. _See this through, break him. Resist him – resist this game_.

"Could be," he purred. "Or you're just delusional. Maybe we should make sure?" His smile spread to the edges of his ears and his crimson eyes flashed dangerously. His hand tightened around my waist, _tight enough_ that it hurt – like the thick binds of rope but instead made of cold hard stone.

I hissed out in surprise and my eyes flew open, wide. I tried to wiggle out of his grasp but to no avail.

"You shouldn't try to trick or seduce me, _Ivy_. It wouldn't end well for you." He warned, and I wondered if he meant me being killed, maybe hurt. Maybe both. His hand on my chin found its way to my neck, gripped tight so I couldn't even move my head away.

"Don't call me Ivy," I hissed through my clenched teeth.

He merely tossed his head back and laughed lightly, before he turned back to me. "Like I said, _I'll call you what I like_." He leaned in, as he held my chin in place and put his lips to mine.

I struggled against his grasp but he only tightened it, making me quite unable to move. I could _taste_ the iron of blood on his lips. He kept me there for a few mere seconds before he moved away only to pull my head back to bare my neck.

"D-don't," my voice cracked. "I still have two days."

"I know." Demetri purred and leaned in and put his lips to the base of my collarbone and inhaled. "But you smell amazing." I could feel his _saliva_ against my skin and I tried to pull away again. "Stop struggling," he hissed. "Otherwise I won't be responsible for my actions."

I paused and closed my eyes, urging my heart to slow. This... did not turn out the way I pictured it to be. I was a hostage, waiting for my last two days to tick by. And then I would become one of _them_ – blood-thirsty, murderous. What would I do during these last two days though? Allow Demetri and Felix to look over me as my guards, do pointless human things, and be under the mercy of my captors.

"Just do it." I tried to swallow my uneasiness, and I felt Demetri lean back curiously, and in shock.

"_What_?" He questioned with a cock of his brow.

"Just do it. Turn me. There's not much for me to do now anyway." My voice was low but he heard.


	7. Chapter 7: Frigid Ice and Fermented Fire

**Hey guys. Thanks for reading. So yes, this chapter may be just a little bit shorter because this is leading up the Chapter 8, which you'll realize what it will be about by the end of this chapter if you haven't already guessed. I wanted to warn you guys right now, Chapter 8 is going to be THICK with information about what Ivory is going to experience, and when I say THICK I mean it's the entire chapter and goes into explicit detail. It's not like Bella's transformation – it's different, especially because Ivory has no idea what she is expecting, so there's a negative. Anyway, enjoy Chapter 7. Hopefully Chapter 8 won't be far after.**

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His grip on me loosened and he took a step back, releasing his hold on my neck. I glared at him with narrowed blue eyes and my jaw clenched tight.

His smile was gone and he held a predator's gaze. "Don't play with me, girl," he hissed from between bared teeth. His confident, flamboyant personality was gone, instead replaced by a careful predatory state. "If you are joking-"

I shook my head, interrupting him. "I'm not kidding." I could feel tears in my eyes but I held them back. "What am I even supposed to do for these next two days? Wait around and watch the clock until your master decides to turn me? No. I'm starving – your secretary brought me nothing to eat – I'm irritable, and I'm god damn _impatient_!" I snapped. "So, just do it now."

Demetri's eyes scanned my face for a moment before he stepped forward and grabbed at my arm, dragging me with him. "I'll take you to Master Aro and _you_ will inform him of your decision." His fingers tug into my arm and almost ripped it from the socket, so I had no choice but to follow – like a dog on a leash. That's _exactly_ what I felt like.

A pet.

We were out the door in a mere minute, and I felt Felix right behind him, his lips pulled into a smirk and crimson eyes burrowing in my head, or was he just looking at my bare neck? Either way, my heart was beating like a humming bird's in my chest – a frightened rabbit caught between two starving wolves.

Demetri's grip remained like stone as he pulled me down through the corridors, my eyes wide, still frightened by all the shadows that lurked. It didn't take long for me to see the familiar iron cast doors that led to the 'welcoming' chamber. The masters weren't seated in their normal thrones, instead off to the right where they studied heavy leather-bound books with yellowed pages.

They turned to attention, and a grin had spread to the edges of Aro's papery face. "Ah, Ivory, what a pleasant surprise to see you here. Early than I thought though?" He cast Demetri a quick, questioning glance.

"Master Aro, she wishes to be turned now instead of in two days." Demetri explained, and at that, Aro's brothers turned in curiosity.

"Oh?" Aro's face lit up, and he reached out a hand. Demetri released his grip on me only to step forward and offer Aro his hand. I backed up, only to feel two fingers pressed into my back, stopping me from moving. Felix.

Aro let out a deranged chuckle. "Excellent!" He clapped his hands together and stepped back. "This is much better." He turned on his heel and faced me. I merely flinched from his gaze. "Demetri?"

"Yes, Master?"

"You will turn her." Aro said, and my eyes looked from Aro to Demetri, wide and doe-like. Demetri was surprised as well. "You can't hide your thoughts from me, remember near Demetri?" Aro noted, and Demetri lowered his head. "So, you will bring her to your chambers and keep her there while she turns. _You_ will teach her and be responsible for her, understood?"

Demetri nodded. "Yes, Master."

"Wonderful. Go now." Aro said with a wave of his hand before he turned to his brothers. "Isn't this wonderful?" He merely noted to the two, before I felt Demetri turn to me.

"Let's go then, _Ivy_. You're going to have your wish," the cheeky grin returned to Demetri's face and I felt a frigid chill sweep through my body. Demetri's fingers gripped my hand and pulled me out the door and down the corridors, Felix flanking behind.

I was frantic. "No, stop, I was _joking_. I was joking, stop." I tried to reason, and both Demetri and Felix laughed.

"It's too late for that, little dove." Demetri purred, until he pulled me into a large, brightly lit room – a chamber – _his_ chamber. Felix was gone and shut the iron door, leaving just Demetri and I alone. The room had barely any furniture, if any. A black leather coach and a bed... that couldn't even be considered a bed, and a wardrobe. I was almost expecting a coffin.

Vampires slept in coffins didn't they?

Demetri's hands curled until he held me against his chest, and I tried to fight, but to no avail.

"This is what you wanted, little dove," he purred. "You wanted me to turn you, and you wanted me to do it now. I'm just giving you your wish."

I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt the swell of tears begin down my cheeks, and Demetri merely raised his thumbs to brush it away.

"Shhh," he merely tried to coax but to no avail. For the first time, his hold was almost gentle, but I didn't care. I was _petrified_. The words I said without thinking were now rushing me to a fate I _didn't want_.

He began to push me towards his 'bed', guiding my entire form just by the curve of his body, and his hands placed against my cheeks to clear away my smoldering tears.

"Lay down," he said, and his grip loosened just barely.

I shook my head as I opened my eyes to stare into his crimson eyes that faded to black around the pupil. He was _not_ amused by me disobeying. The second blurred, and the wind was knocked out of me as I felt my back hit the sharp curve of the mattress, and then the cold stone heat of Demetri _right above_.

"Please don't do this," I tried to persuade him as I shook my head, and his hands traveled up the sides of my body until one rested in the crook of my neck and his other tangled in my hair, keeping a firm grip so I would have no choice but to bare my neck. I was so vulnerable. I never felt like this – _never_ – not even when Kat was ripped away from me, or when the two guards first escorted me back to the palace of the Volturi. "_Please_."

"You asked to be turned earlier, my little dove," he merely purred, his voice right by my ear. "I'm merely granting your wish." A pause as I felt his chest rumble with a hum. "Just one little thing, _Ivy_ – try not to scream _too_ much."

Less than a moment later, a sharp shock of pain shot through my neck and I hissed. That wasn't too-

Wait.

No.

A smoldering heat, too hot – scolding, sharp, and _crippling_. Right where I knew Demetri had sunk his teeth into my skin. "Stop." I tried to push at him, but to no avail – he held me harder to the mattress now as the fire grew hotter, _hotter than before_. Like white-blue flames that were ignited in my veins, branching out, making my body want to cry out for any relief – _anything_. Death even.

Another stinging pain in my wrist and I tried to focus past the blinding pain. Try to lay my eyes on Demetri as he sunk his teeth into each wrist, his crimson eyes – now black – looking solely into mine.

The fire began to branch, burning from my neck upwards and even down.

I squeezed my eyes shut and screamed.


	8. Chapter 8: Dissolving Memories

**If you are squeamish of pain, I would suggest skipping this chapter. Sorry. Reviews are appreciated though. C:**

* * *

Fuck him. Screw that damn Demetri. Screw them _all_. _I hated them_.

"_I fucking hate you_!" I tried to scream past the pain, but nothing escaped, just a few incomprehensible vowels over delirious, painful screaming. Uncontrollable writhing as my muscles tensed and released, fighting against the winning fire – _venom_?

What little I knew about vampires was bullshit. I didn't know a bite would do _this_.

I tried to raise my hands to grasp at my throat, but they were limb, consumed by the same devouring flames. My heart was frantic, beating high and thick in my ears, making every other sound – even my own screaming – a muffled whimper.

Who knew how much time went by as I blared out my pain. A day? A month? _A year_? Time meant _nothing_ when you were being cooked alive. Anything meant _nothing_ when your nerves were picked apart piece by piece, like a child slowly ripping off the wings of a dragonfly. It felt like a seizure – my head exploding from the agony. Was I foaming at the mouth? Choking on my own vomit?

I wasn't sure, but I didn't want to feel it anymore. I welcomed death over this. If only they would allow me it. Torture – stretching my limbs until I was a bloody mess of guts and tendons.

I wanted to escape. I needed to escape. Into my head – my memories.

"Blow out your candles now, Ivy." I could hear my mother's voice, Rebecca's voice, ringing in my ears as I tried my hardest to find myself in that memory again, past the scorching pain – to the point I couldn't hear my own voice screaming out in agony. All I could even focus on the fire burning up my nerves and it felt like my brain was being scraped out. Piece by piece, all the while still on fire with the hottest blue-white flames.

I couldn't feel my body, not even my toes, but I still could feel the inferno that ignited in my muscles. So I focused on something _good_. The faces of my parents and sister, the black and blood cake. No, not blood, red. _Red_. The twenty-two candles twirled in black and white wax, and the flames... _flames_ alive at the times – not orange-red like before but icy white. I needed them _out_.

I blew at them, to extinguish them, but they reared back in determined life, licking at my fingers. I pulled back my hands in a hiss, and looked up to my parents and sister in shock. But my heart pounded in my chest. They weren't my parents, or my sister – faceless, _nameless_. No eyes, no nose, or mouth – blank face. Dolls that wore their familiar clothes, and then faded away until they didn't exist.

Did I even have a sister... or parents? Was I... just an orphan?

I wasn't sure.

My eyes found the cake in front of me – appetizing, so appetizing – I was so hungry, starving - watched as the black began to melt with the red to a puddle of deep maroon. Blood? Yes. Too much... _blood_. I jumped out of my seat as it dripped down the marble island to the ground. My throat burned. Painfully.

I stepped back, farther in this empty steel room of gray, as the pool of blood only fought its way closer, blue-white flames hot against the crimson, making it bubble.

_And then_ I looked down at my hands, and noticed the _veins_. Deep black quickly fighting up my skin from where the flames licked at my fingers earlier. My skin was hot, smoldering, and I screamed out in fright and pain. Up my neck, to my lips, my eyes, and scalp – each second of pain hotter than the last.

I collapsed to my knees, my hands grasping my throat in agony. Not just burning, but _dry_. _Much too dry_. Parched. Dying for something to make it go away. The bubbling crimson blood spread closer against the warm steel floor. As I screamed though, horrible and pained, the dryness didn't affect a single note. Like the pain was almost only in my head.

Every memory gone, burned down to ashes, replaced by nothing but faceless dolls and names I couldn't connect. Except for a few faces. Dressed in non-descript smoky ash, pale pallor, maybe even the occasional split of black and crimson cloaks. My brain trying to place names to still unfamiliar faces. But it didn't work. The pain wouldn't allow it to.

It reared around its ugly head and I was pulled out of the broken memory, back onto the fabric of a small mattress that meant nothing to me right now. Tears pooling down my cheeks from a searing within. I couldn't open them, _didn't want to_, otherwise I'd feel it ten times worse.

I could _hear_ things – hideous, frantic screams. Disgustingly painful. _My screams_.

My delirious heart picking up speed.

A cold touch against my hand – _cold_, thankful. I tried to curl against the cold brush of someone's fingers, past my uncontrollable writhing, but nothing. I couldn't.

"Shhhhh." A soothing, coaxing purr. A voice I recognized but a face I couldn't remember right now past the pain. More fingers brushed against my forehead, then wiped at the endless tears that stained my cheeks.

I could hear him better, past the endless, horrified beats of my heart.

"It'll be over soon." I heard _his_ voice. _How did he know_? He was just a faceless man. What knowledge did _he_ have that I wasn't going to die from this pain? That I wasn't going to be just a pile of charred remains?

Yes, somehow my body felt stronger, but it wouldn't matter if this fire continued to burn.

But what seemed like days later, the fire in my skull, my hands, and my legs slowly began to diminish, leaving my body cool. Not my throat. Dry, painful, rusty nails twisting and digging into the flesh for relief. _Any_ relief.

However, the fire in my heart only grew hotter, _which shouldn't have been possible_. _How was it possible_? Every beat of my heart made the fire spread one step forward towards my heart and away from my other limbs. Yet my body continued to writhe uncontrollably.

Just. Make. It. Stop.

I still hear my screaming ringing out, feel saliva – venom? – fill in my mouth. Feeling things dissolving in my mouth replaced by much harder... _stone_, it felt like.

My heart's frantic beats began to sky rocket, trying to break free from my chest. I wanted to raise my hands and tear at my chest, let myself be relieved – if only just a little bit – by the comfort that the fire would end then. But I couldn't raise them – I couldn't control them.

The cold fingers were gone and I was alone, waiting for death to take me. It felt like minutes, hours, days, months, _years_ – until finally I could feel the fire dimming to something bearable, my heart dying down to slow thumps. And finally. Silence.

_Nothing_.

* * *

**Hopefully the 'events' in this chapter make sense. I wanted to make specific parts make sense, like "okay yeah I can see that happening". An example being the venom driving up the nerves to Ivory's brain and literally burning away her human memories (since vampires end up forgetting human memories over time I thought that the venom during their transformation was the cause for this), her eyes turning red/venom burning in her eyes and her human tears trying to fight it back (aka, when a person cries on reflex it's usually to get something out of their eye, which in here could be the venom).**

3


	9. Chapter 9: Crazed and Feral

Everything was _different_. My eyes didn't sting as I opened them, overcome with surprise and stiffened shock when I could make out every stitch of the fabric against the mattress's quilt, the aged lines of the mahogany wood, the dust that danced in the air, and the bare strings of light that bounced off every object in an eight-colored rainbow. The eighth color having no words to describe it.

Odd. Distracting.

The moment I felt like sitting straight up, the moment it even became a _thought_ in my head, I was already up in a tenth of a second. My eyes scanned around, and body stiffened again in surprise.

Disorienting.

And then the searing pain like the venom that had closed my veins was alive in my dry, pained throat. Another quick thought, and my smooth hands were up cupping my throat as if my smooth, cold skin could relieve the pain. It didn't. I whimpered. It _hurt_.

A warm sound, a deep melancholy beat, not far away did little to sooth the ache – only continued to ignite the pain. Venom pooled in my mouth. My nostrils flared. Everything, every action, was confusing, unstable.

I breathed in, though the action felt wrong, it felt more than _right_. I could taste _every_ particle in the room – even the scent of sun thick against my tongue. Vanilla, salt water, earthy, and a harsh bite of spice from a presence behind-

My body tensed completely, and deep gurgling hiss rose from my throat. The instinct to _defend_ roared in my ears, and compelled me to move. Less than a thirty-eighth of a sentence I was crouched against the farthest corner of the room, lips pulled back to bare shining teeth at the two men. A harsh, buzzing sound fought its way past my clenched teeth. A _warning_. I wasn't overreacting.

Dark human memories tried to break through, but it felt like I was looking at a world half-blind. I didn't like that feeling so I let it go away. All I was focused on were the two figures dressed in non-descript – no, not non-descript anymore. Every stitch, every detail, I could make out. The curve of the fabric against their forms, each individual glimmer of light against their gold and ruby crests. The shining sculpt of their faces and the unique cut of their hair.

The _bigger_ one stood tall, sculpted well – Hercules, Hydra, well – and I could see each individual strand of his dark hair as it fell down against the smooth curve of his facial features. Those horrifying dark crimson eyes, each flare of the red and black in his irises, was focused solely on me. I inhaled, my nostrils flaring. The sharp bite of cinnamon. Cajun spice. Freshly moved dirt. One word. _Dangerous_. My mind screamed to _defend_ myself.

The second one, smaller, leaner – the familiar one – had a more balanced figure. He smelt of fresh rain, vanilla, salt water. But the scents weren't really that for either of them – the most I could try to compare to through faint half-blind human memories that I didn't want to dig back into. The memories felt wrong, destroyed, and fragmented into things that _shouldn't_ exist.

I tried to place names to these _new_ faces, but it was difficult. Especially with human memories meaning little to me now.

The blonde-haired one advanced forward a step, and a buzzing snarl ripped from between my teeth. In less than a sixty-five of a second I was on top of him, baring my teeth. It should have been a blur, but everything – _everything_ – was clear. Yet, the only thing I focused on was this threat. He _shouldn't_ have moved!

My hands were at his throat and in defense, I began to pull up, feeling the stone-like skin begin to crack underneath. Until there was another hand on mine. I looked up to stare into the goliath's face and snapped my teeth. But he only reacted by twisting my hold off of the blonde predator, pulling them harshly behind my back – held by only one bulky hand – and his other squeezed around my neck to bare it.

We were off and a few feet away in less than a second, and I writhed in the goliath's hands to free myself. They were _dangerous_. I needed to protect myself from the danger.

"_Ivory_." I abruptly stopped, nostrils flaring, angered eyes searching for the one that said _my_ name in the sound of chiming bells. My eyes found _his_ face – the blonde one. The eight-sided rainbow fragmented off of his face and he was in front of me in an instant, the cracks in his throat evident. I snarled at him in warning to stay away, but he merely held up his hands, his palms – a gesture that meant he didn't want to harm. _Bullshit_. Yet I could see every line, every pore in his skin. "You're alright, my little dove. We're not going to hurt you." He acted as if the seconds before hadn't happened – like I wasn't just trying to rip off his head. Or he was just very good at hiding it.

"She's feral," I felt the rumble of the goliath's voice in his chest as he spoke – like the quakes of earth. I writhed again, hissed out in anger. These emotions were raw, bewildering – it was hard sticking to one train of thought, especially between these two predators.

"It's normal," the blonde purred. Then his attention was back on me. "Ivy, little dove, I know this must all be disorienting and overwhelming but you have to trust that we will not harm you. We want to help you, to teach you... to _feed_ you." At the last three words the fire in my throat roared to life, making it so much harder to focus past this unsettling pain.

Past the smoldering pain in my throat, I _remembered_ my veins burning – the one that caused me to burn. "Demetri," the name slipped from my lips and I was shocked from my own voice, taken aback. Like the careful flow of water over stones, soothing, but in an instant could become deadly and suffocating. "You did this." I listened to my voice again, my eyes scanning him.

Was I happy that he did? I vaguely remember him hunting for me, his closed in a thick embrace that I started, but again – all distant human memories.

Demetri grinned, a method so perfect, so distinct. "You must be starving." At that, the fire in my throat flared again and I sucked in air, wrestling against the hold of the titan. "I'll get you someone to eat, just _stay_." But I wouldn't. I merely struggled again this _dangerous_ titan as Demetri left, out the door. Venom pooled in my mouth once again as I heard the wet yet warm beat draw closer, a smell so enticing that I wanted it to only be mine. _Only mine_.

"_Easy _Ivory." I heard the goliath rumble, his scent thick in my nose. "Neither of us will take her from you." _Good_. And I wouldn't allow it-

Wait. Her?

Demetri returned with a scrawny _thing_ in hand who didn't compare to him or the goliath – or me. She had a familiar face but not really. A thin black dress clung to her form and her doe-like eyes widened at the side of me. I hissed out in pain and frustration as she started to shout, instinct driving me. Aching to hunt. To kill. _To feed_.

Demetri held the doe in his grip so she couldn't pull away. He merely looked to the goliath and cocked an eyebrow, a wondrous movement. "Felix?" His voice rang like bells, smoothed like ocean waves.

Then the goliath's grip was gone. I was free – to do what I wanted to do. _Needed to do_.

My teeth were in the woman's neck in less than a tenth of a second. I felt her scream, I felt her writhe. Yet the rush of something hot and wet was _right_. It soothed the ache. I drank it eagerly, exhaustingly, _harshly_. One of my hands had wound around her waist and the other in her roots of her hair to pull her head back.

She was finished before I was – she a gurgling mess. Her eyes rolled into her skull and her body arched backwards. My body merely fell forward to take in the fall of her body, but I remained standing. She was limb in my hands.

I felt a pressure against my neck but a thick snarl ripped from my throat and the pressure was gone. Once she was finished, once I had taken what I needed from her, I let the limb sack fall from my hands. I expected the painful ache in my throat to go away, but it only roared to life again, the rusty nails digging into the flesh, the flames licking at every dry inch. I hissed in frustration and spun to face Demetri and... Felix, I think.

I must have been a sight – wild, crazed, uncontrolled. I licked at my bloody fingers, distracted from them for a mere minute, to once again soothe the ache. But it did little.

"I need," I hissed out, almost breathlessly. I inhaled, trying to pinpoint another wet and warm beat I could hunt for. "I need-"

"More." Demetri's grin was wide and I looked into his dark burgundy eyes. "We know."


	10. Chapter 10: Bloody Stone

**There's a poll on my profile page where you guys can vote (up to three times) on what you think Ivory's ability is. Have fun!**

**Also I want to know what YOU guys want to see. Are there specific vampires you'd like to appear, or a specific storyline or history I'd like to play around with? Post your ideas in a review and I'll take a look.**

"When?" I drilled, my eyes wild, searching. Nothing else meant anything to me besides quenching this dying thirst. I wet my lips, hot with sweet iron. The slight tease of blood against my lips made only the fire enflame angrily.

"Soon." Demetri merely purred.

But in less than a fifty-sixth of a second I was already shaking my head, frustrated, angrily. I kicked at the bloody sack of the secretary's body at the ground, and to my surprise launched it across the room. But my attention was back on Demetri quickly, eyes narrowed. "_Not soon enough_!" I snapped with a feral snarl.

Felix advanced a step forward and my own body tensed as I scanned him, a hiss warning him to stop.

"Ivy." Demetri's voice was gentle, calmed, and my wild eyes found him. "We'll hunt, but soon. We know it hurts."

I shook my head. "No, no you _don't know_ how _much_ it hurts." I whimpered, my hands moving to cup my throat to try to relieve the rusty nails and cactus thorns. Neither of them understood, neither of them knew this pain. It made me half-crazed and my ears searched for another warm beat – but there was none in this fortified palace.

Demetri inched forward, very slowly, his hands up and palms facing me – another gesture that he didn't mean harm, submission. But my body tensed readily from a wave of paranoia and fear of the older vampire. His hands smoothed up my cheeks as I continued to watch his movements. A coy, cheeky grin was across his face, reflecting back his flamboyant personality. "You _are_ beautiful," he purred.

I merely cocked an eyebrow and pulled away from his _gentle_ touch. I really didn't care if he called me beautiful. That didn't mean anything to me right now. The only thing that meant anything to me right now was to quench the aching hunger alive in my throat.

He sighed, and cast a glance to Felix. "Fine." Demetri's sights were back on me. "Let's hunt then." A smile spread across his face. "Small village about five hours away?"

"_Five hours_?" My voice was frantic, wild, an angered shrill.

"No, not to us at least. It'd be mere minutes, but we cannot hunt in or near Volterra so we need to be safe." Demetri explained, but I stepped back and scoffed. "Felix will be joining us, just in case."

My eyes found the titan of a guard. Just in case of what? I got out of control and threatened their secret? That I would kill one too many people to quench my thirst? _Well I didn't care_. About their damn secret or how many people I needed to kill. _Anything to stop this burn._

And soon we were off. The two of them, Demetri and Felix, were far too paranoid to let me less than inch away from them as we headed for the village. The exhilaration of the run was amazing – though I didn't need to breath, I _needed_ to. To taste the air, the filaments of grass and dirt, the undesirable tang of spice miles away, unmistakable scent of animal and the smell of their blood I veered from.

And then the familiar thump of hearts that made my throat burn in desire. A hiss passed my lips as I started forward. But the smooth hands on my own stopped me and I whipped around to lash at Demetri with a maddened snarl.

He backed away. "Ivory, take it easy." He merely said, and I scowled at him.

"She's a newborn, remember Demetri?" Felix smirked. "She'll be overcome by instinct and thirst for months. You should expect this from her." He laughed, a deep booming sound. "Including the overwhelming instinct to defend what she thinks is hers."

I turned in the direction of the scent of human blood, body ready to spring forward to start, eyes searching for easy paths. My ears caught Felix's words and my head snapped to attention in a fifth of a second. "But they _are mine_." I hissed, and I knew they got the message. The entire village was mine. But I made a mental note I was starting to _like_ Felix now. Demetri though, he was beautiful and all, but I still had my doubts.

"Alright, alright." Demetri sighed. "Go then, have fun. Drink your fill. We'll take watch."

I only smiled and started, but I heard the voices of both of the men behind.

"Good thing this is a small family village. The law forbids conspicuous feeding." Felix.

"We'll burn the bodies, make it look like thieves ransacked it." Demetri.

And the rest I didn't recall as my full attention was on the small houses, a few men and women walking along the disgusting dirt road. One saw me and started to approach. He was no threat, so I merely observed him as the fire ached in my throat.

"Miss, miss, do you need help?" Was what he said.

I didn't need any help.

My teeth were in his neck in one swift movement, the sweet flow of his honey flood slick against the back of my throat. I drank eagerly, like this would be my last meal – like if I was human and needed water after three long days in a desert without it.

And then the body was limb and I threw it aside, eyes wide and feral, blood painted across my teeth, lips, and chin. The fire still burned.

I merely smiled and took the village. Took them all.


End file.
